"You set up the controller and put it on a pair of servers for high availability -- that's optional, but suggested -- and then you add switches," Murray says. "You program the controller what the rules are to run the fabric, and it auto-provisions the switches. If both controllers go down, the network continues to operate."

The product addresses one of SDN's biggest drawbacks: The promised benefits are big, but so are the costs of replacing installed networking equipment from the likes of Cisco Systems Inc. (Nasdaq: CSCO), along with the associated networking software, with new technology. In addition, the benefits are hard to quantify and describe ahead of time, and because pure SDN requires replacing the entire network, it's difficult to scope out a proof-of-concept or pilot program. (See How NFV Gets a Foot in the Door for SDN.)

The Big Switch Fabric is designed to allow carriers and enterprises to try out SDN by deploying it for a new OpenStack, Hadoop, or remote desktop service. That gives customers a chance to test SDN for a local installation of a single app, and then deploy it wider if it pays off.

"We're going after cases where people are doing new things with the network," Murray says. "By doing it use-case by use-case, we have wins with customers, we publish the use cases, and that helps us build out our business."

Big Switch allows customers to deploy SDN in complete racks, rather than assemble software, switches, and other equipment from multiple vendors. "Instead of having an SDN erector set, SDN is productized," Murray says.

Big Cloud Fabric is available to order today, and will ship by September.

When I wrote about Big Switch in February, Christian Renaud, an analyst with 451 Research, said the company suffered from being too far ahead of its time, launching an open SDN product suite in late 2012. (See Big Switch CEO: We're Not for Sale.)

In 2012, when you talked to most carrier executives about SDN, they just got confused.

Now, Big Switch has a message so simple even a CFO can understand it: Big Switch helps carriers and enterprises transform to "hyperscale networking." You know, like Google, and Facebook, and those other successful guys.

"Over the course of the last five years, the innovators of data center networking have largely been the hyperscale players, the Googles, Facebooks, Amazons and Microsofts of the world," Murray says. "These companies are taking bare metal switches and putting their own software on the switches -- they're delivering on the promise of what SDN started out for."

The initial direction for Big Switch was "overlay networks" -- adding a layer of software on top of existing network to deliver the benefits of SDN. But the company decided that was too complicated and impractical, so it retrenched, converting to a strategy it calls "P+V," for "Physical + Virtual." Big Switch offers SDN on commodity switches sold through partners running Big Switch's own Linux-based softare. (See Murray Leads Big Switch Into Bare Metal Battle.)

Big Switch claims to be one of only two companies in the networking industry using the concept of a controller running on both virtual and physical fabrics. "That's us and Cisco," Murray said. Cisco requires its Nexus-branded proprietary switches, but Big Switch runs on switches from multiple companies, Murray said, giving Big Switch the advantage of openness.

Also on Tuesday, Big Switch announced sales momentum, although it was frustratingly short on specifics. The company says its technology has been adopted across three regions -- Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) for one, as well as North American and Asia-Pacific, with customers in the financial industry, service providers, the federal government, and high-tech vendors.

Business doubled quarter-over-quarter in the second quarter, and Big Switch secured its first million-dollar customer in the first half of the year. Big Switch's largest customer is in production in 16 data centers around the world.

In addition to the Big Cloud Fabric, Big Switch also introduced version 4 of its Big Tap, which directs traffic from a network to third-party network monitoring tools. Version 4 adds support for Dell and Accton Technology Corp. switches, which are based on the Broadcom Corp. (Nasdaq: BRCM) Trident II. Big Tap Version 4 now supports data center tunnelling.

Re: Also, new offices I always thought Big Switch had good technology from the Floodlight days. Wise move by the board to bring in a new CEO who tinkered with the GTM but should have moved more into overlay networking. Moving locations sends a positive message to the employees. We are still inning-1 in overlay networking, inspite of all the big companies and open source technologies joining the party.

Re: Also, new offices @FakeMitchWagner: I think moving to a newer, better office is a more telling sign than anything else! I do agree with exorcising the crazy out of it. Maybe instead of a parakeet they should have a girl and a TV set, just to be safe.

Big Swich also moved to a new office. Their old office, In Santa Clara, had horrible parking; when I visited them in the spring I drove around and around and around the street. The new building, in former McAfee offices, has effectively unlimited parking, adjacent to the new Levi's Stadium, unless there's a game on. "If you're looking ot meet with me on a Sunday in October let's not do it in the office," Murray said. Also, if the building is a former McAfee office, it ought to be exorcised to get the crazy out.

The building includes space for a data center, so Big Switch no longer has to rent space from a colocation center located off premises. That'll look better when demoing and testing products for potential customesr and partners, Murray says.

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